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No. 625,073. A Patented May I6, |899.

vH. VUIGHT. Y

NIGHT LATCH.

(Application med Jan. 1s, 1899.) (No Mmm.)

@ JMW@ NTED STATES' 'PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY G. VOICI-IT, CF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE RUSSELL d5 ERVVIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

NIGHT-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,073, dated May 16, 1899.

Application iiled January 13, 1899. Serial No. 702,064. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY G. VOIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing in New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Night-Latches, of which the following is a specification.

Vy invention relates to improvements in night-latches; and the main object of myimprovement is simplicity and economy in construction, whereby I make the spring for the latch-bolt also serve as the sprin g for the frictional bearings of the sliding stop. In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a rear elevation of my latch with the capplate removed. Fig. 2 is agsectional plan view of the same with the cap on, the plane of section being indicated by the line oc x in Figi l. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation showing a portion of the case, the spring, andthe stop. Fig. 4 is a like View of a portion of the case and the knob for the stop, the stop itself being removed. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line y g/ of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a View corresponding to Fig. 3, but showing a modified form of stop; and Fig. 7 is a like view showing another modified form of stop.

A designates the body of the case, and B the cap, both of which may be of any ordinary form. The knob C and hub D may also be of ordinary form, and so, also, may be the main portion of the latch-bolt 8.

y I have illustrated my improvement as applied to a latch; but it is evident ,that it is equally applicable to a combined latch and ook.

In the present form the latch-bolt 8 is provided with two projections 9 for attaching the spring 10, whereby the said latch-bolt isreversible. The said latch-bolt is also provided with a shoulder 11 on each edge for being engaged by the holding-lug 12 of the sliding stop O. The said stop also has a slightlyswinging movement and is provided with an operating-knob 13, the shank 18 of which extends through a slot in the broad side of the case into said stop, one side edge of said slot having a frictional bearing-face 14, with inclines, as best shown in Fig. 4t, for acting in connection with the shank of the knob 13.

The latch-case is also provided'with a fixed pin or stud l5, which is received into the longitudinal slot 16 of the stop. Said stop is also provided with an arm 17 for connecting it with the spring l() by one end, the other end of said spring being connected to the projection 9 on that edge of the latch-bolt, so that the one spring pulls both on the latch-bolt to project it from the case and on the stop to yieldingly hold the frictional bearing-faces of the stop in engagement. It should be noted that the arm 17 of the stop to which the said spring l() is connected is somewhat above the pin 15, which serves as the fulcrum for the swinging movement of the stop,`so that the lower end of said stop swings forward-that is, to the left, as shown-and yieldinglyholds the shank 1S of the slide-knob 13 in engagement with the frictional bearing-face 14 on the side of the slot in the latch-case, whereby the sliding stop is held in position at either end of its sliding movement. Figs. l and 2, the latch-bolt is held Within the case by the stop, which has its holding-lug l2 in front of one of the shoulders 11 .on the latch-bolt. By moving the sliding stop upwardly the knob-shank 18 of the stop-knob 13 yields a little to the right to permit said shank to ride over the incline of the frictional bearing-face lll, and when the stop reaches the As shown in upper end of its movement the holding-lug is i latch-bolt and spring and which involves in I like manner a combined swinging and sliding stop and yielding and non-yielding frictional bearing-faces forsaid stop, in connection with said spring and latch. 01 designates the sliding stop, having the holding-lug 12 and arm 17 for one end of the spring, the same as in the construction first described; but in this IDO t of the pin 15.

and the fulcrum for the slightly-swinging movement of the stop is on said shank instead The yielding frictional bearing-face 14:L is formed in the body of the stop instead of the case and is provided with inclines like those in the non-yielding face 14 of Fig. 4. Said yielding face acts in connection with a non-yielding face that is formed by one side of the pin 15a, fixed in the case. The operation is obvious when considered in connection with the operation of the stop first described.

In Fig. 7 I have shown another form of stop embodying the same generic features,in which O2 is the sliding stop. It has no swinging movement, but has the same holding-lug 12 for engaging the latch-bolt. The knob-shank 18b is secured to the stop and, as in Fig. 6, it passes through a plane slot in the case, as indicated by broken lines. Near its lower end said stop is provided with a non-yielding frictional bearing-face20,with doubleinclines. I form the yielding bearing-face 14b with double inclines on a separate or additional piece 2l, pivoted to the case at 22 and having an arm 17 for attaching one end of the spring 10. The operation is substantially the same as before. The stop is shown in its downward position for engaging the latch, and it will be seen that the frictional bearing-faces under the tension of the spring 10 hold the stop in this position. On moving the sliding stop upwardly the piece 21 swings on its pivot 22 to permit the frictional bearing-face 20 to pass the opposing face 14b to withdraw the holdinglug 12 from the latch-bolt, and then said piece swings back again to keep the frictional bearing-faces in engagement, all under the iniiuence of the spring 10, which also acts on the latch-bolt. It will thus be seen that in the construction shown in Fig. 7 the only function of the piece 21 is to furnish the yielding bearing-face 14h, so that said face may be properly considered as a separate element of the combination. It will also be seen that the non-yielding faces have been transferred from the case to the sliding stop, and yet the combination illustrated in Fig. 7 operates the same as that of the preceding figures andernploys the same means, whereby it is deemed proper to refer to the frictional bearing-faces as separate elements of the general combination, notwithstanding the fact that in Figs. 1 to 6 they are formed integral with other elements instead of in a separate piece.

It is apparent that some changes from the spcciiic construction herein disclosed may be made, and therefore I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise form of construction shown and described, but desire the liberty to make such changes as may fairly come Within the spirit and scope of the same.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a night-latch, the combination of a case and a latch-bolt with a sliding stop for engaging a shoulder on said latch-bolt, yielding and non-yielding frictional bearing-faces for holding said stop in position, and a single spring serving the double purpose of a spring for the latch-bolt and for the said yielding frictional bearing-faces of said stop, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a case and a latchbolt with the combined sliding and swinging stop, yielding and non-yieldin g frictional bearing-faces for holding said stop in position, the said faces being formed the one on the case and the other on said stop, and a single spring for the latch-bolt and said yielding frictional bearing-faces, substantially as described.

8. The combination of alatch-bolt and case, one plate of which is provided with a slot having the non-yielding frictional bearing-face 14, with the stop O having a knob-shank secured thereto and passing through said slot in the case for acting on said face 14, a slot 16, a holding-lug 12 and arm 17 forconnecting one end of a spring, a pin 15 on the case and within the said slot 16, said pin being located between the said arm 17 and the said knobshank 1S, and a spring, substantially as described.

HENRY G. VOIGHT.

Witnesses:

M. S. WVIARD, P. M. BRoNsoN. 

